This interview with outgoing South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy is telling, in that since Gowdy is leaving the Congress after this year, he claims that investigating Trump's White House is something his committee should actually and really truly do, and he seems to be making moves toward doing it. Does Devin Nunes get a sign-off on that, Trey?
ALISYN CAMEROTA, HOST: Are you troubled by Rob Porter's employment in the White House?
REP. TREY GOWDY: Yes. Two levels. One is the interim security clearance issue, but even more importantly, I spent two decades believing women and children who alleged abuse, even sometimes when no one else did. Even if that's not the issue, I have questions about whether someone can be considered for employment whether there's a security clearance or not. I'm troubled by almost every aspect of this.
CAMEROTA: Now that we know, according to yesterday, Chris Wray's testimony, that they told the White House four times, they gave the White House four different installments of the report, some of them complete, that included the allegations from the ex-wives. So how could he still have a job at the White House?
GOWDY: That's a great question. I can't answer. Who knew what when and to what extent those are the questions that ought to be asked. Congress has a role to play. So do the public and the media. Who knew what when, and if you knew it in 2017 and the bureau briefs them three times, how in the hell was still he employed? The security clearance is a separate issue. It's an important issue, but separate. How do you have any job if you have credible allegations of domestic abuse? Again, I am biased towards the victim. I spent two victims believing them. You Don't have to be biased towards the victim to be asked how in the hell did this happen?
CAMEROTA: Our reporting is Don McGahn, White House chief counsel and Chief of Staff John Kelly did know. What does this say about them?
GOWDY: Well, no offense to your reporting. I would want to know from Don McGahn and General Kelly and anyone else what did you know, from whom did you hear it, to what extent did you hear it and what actions, if any, did you take. The chronology is not favorable from the White House. When you have the head of the FBI saying we told you three times in 2017 and once more in 2018 for good measure that I think the really fair questions are what were you told, by whom were you told, did you have some reason to question what the bureau told you, and if none of that is true, why did you keep him on? So Don is one person to ask, General Kelly is one person to ask. Those are the questions going through my mind. What did you know, when did you know it, to what extent were you told and did you have any reason in the world to doubt the information that was provided to you, because I can't think of what that reason would be.
CAMEROTA: Listen, those are great questions. You're the Chairman of the Oversight Committee. Are you going to investigate?
GOWDY: We do have jurisdiction over the security clearance process. I do not have jurisdiction over who the president hires. That's a branch integrity issue.
CAMEROTA: Sure. Listen, you could get into this, you could investigate what Rob Porter was doing there and certainly without full security clearance. So is your committee going to launch an investigation?
GOWDY: The very first thing I did when I landed yesterday was sit down with my senior staff in oversight and find out what we're going to do, Alisyn --
CAMEROTA: What's the answer?
Congress has lots of questions from the executive branch that go unanswered.
CAMEROTA: What's your plan?
GOWDY: There are three different people who have a role here. Congress has a role. So do you and so does the public. I would imagine the public is concerned as well. Sometimes it's harder to ignore the public than ignore Congress.
CAMEROTA: We've been asking questions and talking about it for eight days. What's your plan on the committee?
GOWDY: To ask the FBI for a briefing because I want to hear from Chris Wray, what did you learn, when did you learn it and to whom did you communicate it? From that we'd develop a list of witnesses where you could go from there.
CAMEROTA: I'm sorry to interrupt. We do have those answers from Chris Wray. He testified to them yesterday. March 2017 almost a year ago he submitted a report to the White House.
GOWDY: Alisyn, I've got the dates. Do you know what he told them? That's my question. The dates are really important. What I want to know from Chris Wray is what with specificity did you learn, when did you learn it and with whom did you share it and when did you share it. Dates. I heard that. My followup question is, okay, Chris, how thorough was the investigation, what did you share, with whom did you share it and what were the updates? If you updated the information four times, what was the second, third and fourth iteration of that update? I'm with you on the chronology. I've got that.
I gotta wonder if Trey Gowdy knows his reputation is so trashed by his fake Benghazi investigations that he's leaving the Congress, if he's suggesting "investigation" of Rob Porter in order to make DC eyeballs roll so the problem goes away for the so-called White House.
He's definitely retreading old tires from the House Intelligence Committee, whose job it is clearly to defend the White House.
I'd like to see some oversight of your body's Intelligence Committee, Trey, especially its chairman. Can you subpoena his text messages to Sean Hannity and get back to us?
